Moonlighting on motorbikes

Moonlighting on motorbikes

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Dozens of state employees here have
taken side jobs as motorcycle taxi drivers, locally known as
ojek, to help survive the economic crisis.

One of the civil servants, Udin, 43, said dozens of employees
had joined the ojek organization. The man, who works as a teacher
in a state-run elementary school, said he had been working as a
driver for the last two years.

"Each day, I earn around Rp 40,000 (US$6) or Rp 50,000 to help
finance my family," Udin, who is also a student at one of the
universities in Palu, said as quoted by Antara on Saturday.

He said he would keep the side job if economic conditions did
not return to normal.

Many ojek drivers around the province's capital said they had
made big profits on Idul Fitri, thanks to the scarcity of public
transport during the holiday.

"In the last three days, many youngsters have chosen to use
our services," Djony, 45, one of the drivers operating in Masomba
market, said on Saturday.

Another driver, Safruddin, 51, concurred. "We have enjoyed a
harvest in the last three days," he said, adding that he could
earn up to Rp 100,000 per day. (04)